Apple MVNO rumors: part deux

We thought we'd come and gone on the whole Apple-does-an-MVNO rumor thing that was buzzing around just prior to the ROKR E1's launch last September, but with Apple's enigmatic "Mobile Me" trademark filing hitting the the wires today, speculation is already re-cropping up that Apple's still working behind the scenes to pound out their own mobile virtual network operator. Now, granted, we did have it on authority (albeit quite some time back) that that's what was really going down -- but is it really that likely anymore? We can't really see Apple going it alone on this one for hardware's sake, and their partnership with Moto, which once seemed so promising, now appears rocky at best after the nano quasi-betrayal (his namely evidenced by Moto's wandering musicphone eye, lining up some seriosu musicphones without iTunes left and right post ROKR E1, like the ROKR E2). But like it or not, the Apple MVNO rumor's back: the Chicago Tribune attributes one American Technology Research analyst as saying he thinks Apple "will have a device and an MVNO," so there. Frankly, at this point we won't really be surprised either way; just don't act too surprised when Applephone service comes out with over-the-air downloads at the industry's current unacceptably expensive rates leashed to a so-so / seemingly-noncommital Moto musicphone.

[Thanks, slacker]

[Andrew Klein @ Jan 12th 2006 1:38PM]

first post

[Andrew Klein @ Jan 12th 2006 1:40PM]

wow apple screwed up with the rokr, they shouldnt work with motorola anymore

[Charlie @ Jan 12th 2006 1:49PM]

Hrm.

[xbit @ Jan 12th 2006 2:00PM]

GSM or CDMA, I wonder?



Will they make their own phone or partner someone like Nokia, in a similar fashion to Yahoo are doing?

[Dolomite @ Jan 12th 2006 2:23PM]

Treo Killer! I can't wait.

[mroach @ Jan 12th 2006 2:26PM]

I really hope they go GSM on this one. I'd love to use the Apple MVNO.

[page12.com, inc. @ Jan 12th 2006 2:34PM]

my money is on a PVR/PDA tablet thingy with wi-fi, you can download and buy itunes and videos from anywhere!

[Mark0000 @ Jan 12th 2006 2:45PM]

As much as I am a GSM (and Apple) fan, I think if they do this its going to be CDMA and it's going to be their own devices.



There's no point in them launching a regular ol' MVNO in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Their success would ride on not only iTunes on the go, but integration with the rest of the line up including the older apps in the iLife suite, the newer iWeb with photo RSS (camera phone could make that interesting), .Mac accounts, and obviously the computers themselves. To make all this work seemlessly, they would need fresh hardware and interfaces.



Whether they design and manufacture, design and farm out to a manufacturer like UTStarcomm/Panasonic/whoever, this would have to be APPLE hardware. Though I'm sure they could make a GSM system only work on their phones and not unlocked devices, this lack of interoperability of phones/networks is already embedded in CDMA technology. Ditto on their phones getting used on another carrier's service. On top of that, media and advanced web apps on phones means bandwidth, and despite Cingular's strides in HSDPA, the CDMA carriers have a leg up on nationwide high speed data.



But yeah, it sure is Apple, so who the hell knows...

[Brian K @ Jan 12th 2006 3:26PM]

iPod 2 = Simple Smartphone



Apple has iCal and Mail, they just need a phone to make it work perfectly. The whole music phone thing hasn't been nailed yet, but whoever does might just kill the iPod. Who better to do that than Apple? An Apple smart music phone would hurt MOTO bad. Also, I don't think Apple much likes MOTO at this point. The ROKR was a huge disappointment that was delayed and ended up sucking. At the same time MOTO also made weak chips for Apple. Steve Jobs is making Apple in his image. First it was the original iMac, then the iPod, then Intel. Getting rid of MOTO as a partner is going to happen one way or another.

[SubGenius @ Jan 12th 2006 5:55PM]

ONLY 2 PHONES

iPhone KISS = Keep It Simple Smartphone, only 1 button

iPhone Pro = CoreDuo, Lithium-Polymer battery, iSight



ONLY 2 CALLING PLANS

99� per call (for those who don't use their phone much)

or

unlimited calling for $99/month (for those who use their phone alot)

[Josh S. @ Jan 12th 2006 6:59PM]

i think apple will announce that it is entering the mvno market, maybe as soon as this year, but it will only do so as a mechanism to sell hardware.



Mark0000 is right on the money -- there will be an apple-designed device that features itunes and a whole host of other integrations, like reading blogs, picture and movie viewing. rest assured this will come when high speed and 3g networks are fully up and running, because the apple phone will not need to 'connect' to the web like most phones do now. to get the most out of apple's os x apps you really need a broadband connection, and the same will be true for their phone.



apple's partnership with motorola is a way to get their foot in the door, but just as they've done with microsoft (partnering with them to bundle IE, then killing it with safari, and they've almost killed office as well), they'll do the same to motorola in a couple of years. it will be cool to see what sorts of integration this will bring to the mobile phone meets computer world, because right now most people aren't making that connection; and to do so by apple means more reason for you to buy a mac and an ipod and shop at the itunes music store, etc.

[Ben G @ Jan 12th 2006 8:25PM]

The other thing to consider is a 3G data tie-in with their laptops. As you know Dell, Sony and others are already putting 3G modules into their laptops. Apple may be looking at that as a way to "Mobile Me". That could be done through a data MVNO so they can own the customer. That'd probably be .mac.

[Ash @ Jan 12th 2006 9:08PM]

I think this is a new wireless network for all mac's to use. Just imagine "Apple Everywhere" connected & togther. You could buy music & videos from anywhere ... you can ichat with video and surf the web from anywhere. You could "Mobile Me" everywhere I go. Pop in a sleek cellular modem into that new ExpressSlot and Viola you connected everywhere you go. Ohhh what a pleasnt dream this would be ;)

[phil @ Jan 12th 2006 11:45PM]

MVNO is the only possible explanation.

I love Apple, but they don't play well with other companies.

Their need to control the hardware and software leaves only private branded hardware and their own proprietary software as an option. I would guess that it will be with Cingular, and will provide broadband access to iTunes and the other iLife products - music, photos, movies, personal web pages - hell, all web pages). There may be a few partners in there as well. Maybe myspace (competitor?).

Details are up in the air, but there is no way that they will give up creative control, especially when it makes them look bad (like the Rokr - yea there is a song cap, but the software did not perform as it should and that makes Apple look bad).

[ric @ Jan 15th 2006 6:44PM]

HTC. partner with HTC for the hardware, who make anything that's decent in the mobile world these days (treo 700, SPV C500 etc). start a MVNO by piggybacking on T-mobile or whoever's cheapest, and buck the trend by not making your handsets lossleaders. charge a decent amount for an ergonomic, tactile marvel, with itunes/imail/ical etc integration and away you go.

[Eric Chan @ Jan 25th 2006 8:26PM]

I wrote about Apple and the MVNO play a while back (http://www.mobileslate.com/2005/08/apple-mvno.html). Part Deux, should be coming. Now with the Pixar and Disney merger, we could see Apple leveraging Disney and ESPN, not to mention ABC.